Catching Up - Part 1

November 4, 2011

It seems like things here are moving very fast now… to the point that I sometimes wish I could spend a whole day at home being a veg… but I asked God to give me purpose and direction to do his will and he has answered me.  So much so that I am already lamenting about what will happen when we are home for good. 

I think back and now it’s hard to believe that I spent my first three months here mostly in tears and frustration.  I was thinking we had made the worst decision ever by coming here.  The only time it seemed ok was on the weekend when Michael and I would explore new parts of Shanghai.

I told Michael the other night that I would be sad when we leave… I have made such wonderful friends here.  I feel that I have such purpose now.  There are so many rewarding opportunities to help the children here.  One can only scratch the surface in 18 months. 

Michael has renewed his contract to be here until September 30, 2012.  He has hired his replacement and the new person is on board and in training now.  It looks like it was a good hire which means that it is doubtful there will be any extension beyond the end of September commitment. 

There have been some rumors of a month in Malaka, Malaysia in the spring… I would most likely go with.  Malaka is south of KL about an hour or so.  It would be a new adventure… and I am always up to a new adventure.

Since our friends, Connie and Dean, had to cancel their plans to come here, we have postponed our travel for down under.  It will be early next year before we will go there… and maybe things will settle down for them… and we will all be able to reschedule and go together as originally planned.

Soooo… we are not going home for Thanksgiving or Christmas… sadness here!

And even worse… a turkey here… if you have an oven big enough to cook one, would run you about $100 USD.  Needless to say…We will not be having any turkey for dinner. 

And Christmas… no decorations… or tree…

or family here…(last Christmas at our house)

But we will be home in January for Jason and Dennell’s wedding so we will delay our celebration of Christmas as a family… but will be different as we will be at one of the kid’s houses and no mass quantities of cooking… or baking… or decorations.  But we will have the important stuff… the celebration of the birth of the Christ and family. 

So instead … I will be booking us travel to go somewhere… some of the recommended possibilities are Phuket, Thailand, Krabi, Thailand, Da Nang, Vietnam,  Boracay, Philippines, or maybe Sanya, China.  I am doing a bit of research to determine which place will be our Thanksgiving destination.  I will keep you posted.

More news and events in the next installment of Catching Up!!!